Alaska warms to spin-out

The University of Alaska has launched its second spin-out CFT Solutions, which offers an environmentally-friendly solution to Alaska’s snow covered pavements.

Anchorage-based CFT Solutions is commercialising a patent-pending innovation where carbon fibre tapes are placed under pavement to keep it heated during Alaska’s deep freezes, which are also easy to install and maintain. The technology was tested during the Winter of 2011-12, during which Anchorage saw record snowfall, and managed to keep pavement clear of snow.

The spin-out, created in May, is owned by Seawolf Holdings, itself a wholly-owned subsidiary of the University of Alaska which handles the institution’s intellectual property management and is backed by the Seawolf Venture Fund.

Helena Wisniewski, vice provost for research and graduate studies at the University of Alaska, said: “Creating our second startup company within few months of our first, illustrates UAA’s upward trend in commercialisation and how our research can contribute solutions for local and national needs.”